Why Education is the most important factor in a developing country Essay Example for Free

Why Education is the most important factor in a developing country Essay Education is often considered the greatest opportunity you can give a child, purely from what the child can do with that Education, will they become a Doctor and save 100 lives? Or become a Scientist and cure Malaria? They will also learn to be civilized, moral and then spread that to their children whom will possibly do the same until you have a lot of civilized people in one country working together and making trying their best to be the best people they can be, great countries rise, perhaps that may be why countries that see Education as â€Å"optional† are some of the most disorderly regions. Those regions include, The Middle East, Africa, and some of Latin America. According to Islamic beliefs, everyone is entitled to an Education; in fact, getting an education is described as â€Å"A Moral duty to yourself and Society† in the Quran but as the reader may know, Women are not allowed into Middle Eastern Universities and the Woman’s Father must approve of her Daughter even going to, what we know as, Middle school in The Middle East. Because Women are not allowed to study anything, including Politics, there is only a Male based government, and as we know by now, Men and Women are not as equal as we would like to admit, for instance, in countries where Women can hold political office (Europe, North America and Asia) are generally more peaceful areas of the world and that is because Men are likely to take a more stern and aggressive approach to threats while Women are more likely to want to avoid serious conflict and instead find alternatives. The point is that a bunch of governments, with only Men, are more likely to conflict with other countries because they don’t have something to bring them to sense when Violence seems like the best option, in The Middle East at least. In Africa, instead of religious reasons for people lacking education, the problem is Money. There are not enough good schools in Africa for all the children of the continent (obviously) and this leads to the kids having to work for whoever is hiring, which is usually one of the many warlords of Africa. Of course, this is not true for all of Africa, for instance, South Africa and Egypt are in the top 30 for richest countries in the World and in South Africa, 81% of their population has received an education comparable to High school level. Egypt has a lower percentage (73%) but this is still much higher than most African countries. The greatest reason as to why  Africa is in such a bad spot is because of European Imperialism, in the 18th Century, Africa was farmed by Europeans leaving them with less than half of the original natural resources they had before the Europeans came along, then they just left. Leaving the people with a freedom they hadn’t had in years, thus raised Warlords and corrupt political figures. The majority of African countries have not organized themselves from this time and because of that, most of the children in Africa have suffered and not gotten an education which will undoubtedly lead Africa to some bad times. Unlike the Middle East and Africa, Latin American countries have OK educational systems that are widely accessible and that is encouraged by most parents, but why is this area some of the most violent? Because of the growing Drug Empire(s) that has taken over almost all of South America and 2/3 of North America and still growing, that promises a lot of very fast which is what everyone wants, especially the poor. This is seen as a good alternative because school takes a lot of hard work that will cost a lot of money later on and even then, the job market is horrible unless you went to Harvard and got a 4.0 GPA all four years in undergrad, then exceled in Graduate school. However, if school was seen as the best option to the kids of Latin America, the kids have a great support system in their family to keep them motivated. Drugs are what are keeping most kids in Latin America from going to school and exceling in however they want to help Society. The world needs education because education teaches us the mistakes of the past, how to solve problems quickly and efficiently and basic civility. The greatest countries in the World currently all spend monstrous amounts of money on Education and investing in their children’s futures because that’s what their parents did for them and it worked and this has been proven time after time. So, to summarize, the Middle East must end their Misogynic beliefs and allow everyone education, Africa must establish a better and much larger educational system in their respective countries and Latin America must destroy the Drug Empires that have almost been allowed to grow and fester in order for these countries/regions to prosper to their full potential.

The rationale rights based approaches

The rationale rights based approaches This essay will discuss about the rationale, shortcomings and potentials of rights based approaches to development as a subject. The objective of this essay is to explore the above mentioned in detail as this is believed to help all those involved in development work and to add to the existing debates in this area. The other reason is to clarify this theorisation for actors in the field be it NGOs and government or international agencies dealing with development to really understand what rights based approaches entail. Rights based approaches to development has become so popular for the past decade, with development agencies and national governments understanding it and implementing it in a diverse of ways. As Hickey put it â€Å"Some development professionals remained committed to the approach, while others were frustrated at the lack of progress in realising its apparent potential. Some academics and activists expressed continuing scepticism and argued that the rights based approach was one more example of northern hegemony†.(Hickey etal,2009:9) It is against this backdrop that discussing about the shortcomings and potentials of rights based approaches is appropriate. The discussion is hoped that it will help governments and NGOs to take into account the shortcomings and potentials in their development work. The essay focuses on the rights based approaches in generally, for there is need for self reflection so that actors can understand both the negative and positive side of rights based approaches for it to be a helpful tool on the ground rather than theory. This point was emphasised by Hickey saying â€Å".neither praise nor damn rights based approaches to development, and to instead work toward a more balanced understanding of both potentials and pitfalls of such approaches. We hope that this measure assessment will avoid the antagonisms with other new approaches to development for example social capital, participation, in which reasonable disagreements have become running battles, entrenching increasingly polarised positions, clouding attention to facts on the ground and preventing the productive synergies that should develop between opposing views.†(Hickey etal, 2009:209). To address the issues highlighted in the above paragraphs the essay will deal with the rationale of rights based approaches followed by a discussion on the current debates which will help to highlight the shortcomings and potentials. A comparative analysis with other approaches to development will be looked at and a discussion about the shortcomings and potentials which will be followed by a conclusion. Various definitions has been put forward to describe what a rights based approach is. As stated in the Human Rights Reference Book, â€Å"Human rights to development can be defined as a conceptual and analytical approach to development cooperation, which is based on the standards and principles of human rights and which aims to incorporate these standards and principles in all planning and implementation of development cooperation †(Sepulveda etal 2004:03) Others define a rights based approach in what it does to a situation. As stated in Ball, â€Å"A Rights based approach helps to uncover the root causes of under development, conflict and even natural disasters such as famine.†(Ball 2005:278).In relation to this essay, the definition as propagated by Sepulveda in the Human Rights Handbook will be used or referred to. For the proper understanding to the readers, there is need to define as well what development is and which definition is applied in this contexts as rights based approach focuses on the way in which development is being approached. The preamble to the Right to Development Declaration states that, â€Å"Development is a comprehensive economic, social, cultural and political process, which aims at the constant improvement of the well being of the entire population and all individuals on the basis of their active, free and meaningful participation in development and in the fair distribution of benefits resulting there from.†[1] This definition will be the one referred to in this essay since it cover so many things and it is a consensus from all the nations which fall under the United Nations. Having stated the objective of the essay, given the definitions of development and rights based approach the essay will now discuss the rationale behind having rights based approach to development. In order to highlight the shortcomings and contributions the fundamental reasons for using a rights based approach to development will be discussed. It is my view that from the past development projects were not incorporating human rights in their agendas. Human development and human rights were seen as separate fields altogether. However it was realised that all the two frameworks are there to promote and secure the peoples dignity and also freedoms. As stated by Nyamu-Musembi, â€Å"A rights based approach adds an element of accountability and culpability, an ethical or moral dimension to development. It therefore, demands a shift from viewing poverty eradication as development goal to viewing it as a matter of social justice, as the realisation of a right and fulfilment of a duty.†(Nyamu-Musembi, 2005:42) However in relation to NGOs, adopting rights based approach is based on the fact that it is moral right, and widely accepted perception that it brings contributions to traditional approaches which will be discussed in the essay. It was also believed international-wide by authors and professionals that development should have a consideration for rights. It is the writers view that human rights and development are more effective together than either one on its own. And this reason of combining a rights based approach to development was confirmed by Theis as he stated that â€Å"Combining human rights, development and activism create a more effective approach than any of them on their own. A rights based approach has a greater chance of achieving results in the fight against injustice, inequality, poverty and exploitation†. (Theis, 2004:13). The realisation by actors in development was to the effect that not all was being done to realise the rights of people and there was need for some comprehensive approach to tackle issues as poverty and address the inequalities involved and this can be done through legal means. Petit said â€Å"Development practitioners have to begun to recognise the limits of their technical and micro-project approaches in tackling the root causes of poverty. They have recognised the need to address deeper structures of inequality and exclusion and to confront these at the legal and political as well as social, cultural and economic levels.†(Petit, p92) Also according to Gready the realisation of links has led to the issue of rights in development as he stated that â€Å"Recognition of the fundamental links between rights, denial, impoverishment, vulnerability and conflict has led to the incorporation of rights- based approaches into the funding strategies, policy formulations and practice of a diverse range of actors.†(Gready P etal.2005:1). The other reason for adopting a rights based approach to development was that it uses different lens for the analysis of problems which development seeks to address. The committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights have summarised or explained the above statement as follows â€Å"The real potential of human rights lies in its ability to change the way people perceive themselves vis-a-vis the government and other actors. Rights framework provides a mechanism for reanalysing and renaming â€Å"problems like contaminated water or malnutrition as â€Å"violations† and, as such, something that need not and should not be tolerated..Rights make it clear that violations are neither inevitable nor natural, but arise from deliberate decisions and policies. By demanding explanation and accountability, human rights expose the hidden prioritise and structures behind violations and challenge the conditions that create poverty†[2] Having looked at the rationale for using rights based approach it is important for this essay to discuss some of the debates which are existing in this field to clearly show the potentials and shortcomings of rights based approach. There has been a debate that human rights based approaches re-politicise development through NGOs work and it is still topical. This was about humanitarian principles applied by international agencies namely impartiality, independence and neutrality which are considered to be political values. Most writers have agreed that development can be re-politicised by human rights based approach especially in relation to to the identification of needs. As Nyamu -Musembi and Cornwall expressed that â€Å"Whereas a needs based approach focuses on securing additional resources for delivery of services to marginalised groups, a rights based approach calls for existing resources to be shared more equally.assisting the marginalised people to assert their rights to those resources, thus making the process explicitly political†(Nyamu-Musembi etal 2004:2). This debate is now looked at to see if it can highlight some shortcomings or potentials of using a right based approach. In this case I will try and analyse whether being political in the sense portrayed is bad for development. It is my personal view that it is necessary part for rights based approach to be political as this can bring public awareness and include naming, shaming for the governments and development actors for the rights violations. It is my contention that using other methods was leaving behind the issue of power relations that exist in society and this causes them not to look at the root causes of the problems. Others argue that human rights based approaches are a new form of imperialism used to provide an increasingly intrusive attack on sovereignty, democracy and political debate. Some argue that this issue of cultural imperialism stems from the origins or foundation of human rights which is mainly western in nature. But others also defended the position by arguing that the universal aspect of rights is necessary for it adds legitimacy and that human rights based approaches involves both sides of universality and cultural relativism. Looking at this debate I find it to portray a potential of rights based approach to development. Those who support human rights based approaches are happy and felt that putting development within the confines of the law is good for it creates a point of accountability, that is obligations and rights or duties mainly on states and all the actors involved in development programmes. As pointed by Gready that â€Å"The value -added of rights based approach can be sought through direct applications of the law, but more particularly through indirect and strategic uses of the law.†(Gready 2008:78) However there are some who are so sceptical about using the law where there are inequalities and existing power relations which are different. The existing debates are showing potentials and rationale of human rights based approaches as perceived in the development circles. To real engage in the debate as to whether rights based approach have any potential or has some shortcomings, a comparative analysis will be done with other traditional approaches which were used and in this case sustainable livelihoods and needs based approaches or charity. In relation to sustainable livelihoods it can be said that they can complement each other but it deals with the impact of entitlements whilst rights based deals more with what entitlements the marginalised people should have and focus more on the long run effect. This can highlight the potential made by rights based as compared to sustainable livelihoods approach. Another approach to be discussed is needs based, in which case it is mainly based on needs and even selective as to which needs are more important and will be addressed. Looking at a rights based approach it can be compared to a needs based and be found to be better for it addresses the root causes of the problem since rights are indivisible it deals with the situation as it is. A needs based approach no one has obligation and duty unlike in a rights based approach, it entails binding and moral obligations on the actors like government. The other fact about needs based approaches is that like sustainable livelihoods, it focuses on the short term just to address the needs but a right based looks at the long term. I strongly believe that rights based approaches to development has improved the situations and contributed a lot to development as a subject. In a rights based approach the subjects are empowered to claim for their own rights. A table inspired by Save the children will be dra wn to show this comparison, summarising the differences between rights based and needs based. It is not disputed that these are good contributions made by rights based approaches to development Inspired by Save the children and created by the author The comparative analysis has been done by various authors among them Jonsson from UNICEF stated when comparing needs based and rights based approaches to nutrition, â€Å"..the essence of the differences is that in the former beneficiaries have no active claims to ensure that their needs will be met, and there is no binding obligation or duty for anybody to meet these needs. In contrast, a rights based approach recognises beneficiaries as active subjects or claim -holders and establishes duties or obligations for those against whom a claim can be held.†(Jonsson 1999:49) From the above comparative analysis with other approaches or perspectives to development it can be safely concluded that human rights based approaches contributed significantly to development as a subject and has the potential of driving development works in a better direction for the betterment of the marginalised groups. After having dealt with a needs based approach to show the contributions made by rights based approach another comparative analysis is done with a charity based approach. This approach has been criticised because it give the impression that a problem has been solved, but it does not deal with the root causes as well and it does not give the beneficiaries the opportunity to make decisions. Rights based approach is rapidly trying and replacing this charity based to overcome the shortcomings. The table below also shows the different between charity and rights based approach to development Inspired by (Lisndstorm -Sarelim and Mustaniemi-Laakso.2007) and created by the author From the above table 2 it can be said the rights based approaches have contributed significantly to development as a subject. Despite the theoretical strength of this approach, it is also not free from shortcomings. The following section will explore the shortcomings of the approach without a specific context and juxtapose it with the potentials which will be grouped into four categories namely political, conceptual, organisational and strategic challenges and ideological as well as implementation. All this is done to address the issues as to whether rights based approaches have really contributed or is it is just a failure. Conceptual It can be said that rights based approaches sometimes suffer a number of conceptual difficulties, especially in the economic social and cultural spheres. As can be supported by John Farrington, â€Å"The difficulty of systematically incorporating a time frame in the consideration of right, so that for instance they do not illuminate environmental issues such as the appropriate rate of depletion of non-renewable resources. The difficulty of conceptualising an appropriate balance between rights and responsibilities and also the difficulty of defining when cultural specifications override wider good should require suspension of normal rights. The difficulties in resolving tensions among different levels at which rights are conceived†, (Farrington,2001:3) There is a progressive potential though, rights based approach did position development as being for everyone and not really focusing on the so called poorest people in society. It also gives some political issues into development in the issues be it problems and solutions. Organisational and strategic challenges Rights based approach can be said that it gives an organisation a hard time in that rights are indivisible, so they cannot prioritise since all rights are equally important and this is really difficult when the organisation has only limited resources to address the issues at stake. Another issues that in the process the staff is engaged in the politics at a greater stage than with other approaches. This can be against foreign policy and the organisations may compromise the humanitarian principle of neutrality and this can be dangerous to the staff. On the other hand it can be said the approach is a potential in that this is a holistic approach and can help the development agencies to deal with the root causes of the problem which in some situations would be authorities. It gives a clear planning to organisations. Political A rights based approach can be said to have a shortcoming in that it put on the state, as a duty bearer all the burden. And another contentious issue is of taking matters to the courts, in these instances it will be on individual basis and this undermines or destroys the collective struggles. Rights based approach in some instances might be too confrontational a method or a strategy and this takes away or removes the other approaches of negotiation. Again it can be regarded a potential as it gives and impose obligations also creates duty bearers. It makes the beneficiaries or rights holders to participate in programmes and play a role in the decisions that affect their lives. Its again strengthens the principle of equality and citizenship. Ideological Rights based approach can be said to be supporting the neoliberal agenda or ideas by emphasising on individualism. And the approach does not sometimes take into account different contexts and some ideas may not be good for a certain group of environment, they just applied equal everywhere. On the other hand it can be said rights based approach put development so as to address inequalities and fight discrimination of marginalised groups and address power relations through development on how to distribute resources. Rights based approach needs adequate resources to be implemented and this sometimes offer a major problem for there can be financial constraints After exploration of the potentials, shortcomings and the rationale for rights based approaches in a bid to address the issues as a way of self criticism within the approach, it is noble to provide some suggestion so as to take forward the goal and securing more progressive forms of development. Though it has been discussed that rights based approaches re-politicise development, it can be said that it is necessary for development actors to tackle the underlying causes of poverty and marginalised. Also when rights based approaches is focused, there is need to be defined and conceptualised well since there is room for diverse interpretation. I t is also suggested that there is need for self reflection of the rights based to understand the potentials and shortcomings as this will help to move this tool of human rights based approach from being theory into practice, or from theoretical arguments to evidence based arguments. Conclusion Rights based approach is here to stay and be implemented in development projects, however as highlighted in the essay it has made tremendous contributions to development as a subject by bringing into board the issues of accountability, duty bearers, participation of the citizens and dealing with the root causes of the problem. It again tries to address the inequalities from the power relations that exits in society. Like any other approach it also suffers shortcomings from the way it can be implemented, different contexts, political and ideological differences that exist as some portray it as a form of cultural imperialism and some sort of western hegemony. This writer was aware of the existing talks with regard to the approach and have decided to do a rundown of the approach looking into the contributions that has been made and also the shortcomings as a way of helping the various actors involved in development to know more about the approach so as to appreciate it as it is and work ing towards improving on the shortcomings highlighted. It was also intended to add to the existing debates as to whether rights based approaches have failed or not. References Ball O.2005 â€Å"Conclusion†, in P Gready Reinventing development? Translating rights-based approaches from theory into practice (PP278-300) Farrington J.2001, Sustainable Livelihoods, Rights and the New Architecture of Aid, Number 69, June 2001, The Overseas Development Institute. London Gready, P 2008 â€Å"Rights based approaches to development: What is the value added? Development in practice- oxford p74 Hickey S. and D Milton (eds) 2009 Rights Based Approaches to Development, Exploring the Potential and Pitfalls. Kumarian Press Jonsson U.1999 Historical Summary on the SCN Working Group on Nutrition, Ethics, and Human Rights.SCN News 18 July, special issue on Adequate Food: A Human Right:49-51 Lundstrom-Sarelin, A and M Mustaniemi-Laasko 2007 Human Rights Based Approach to Development; what is it all about? HRBA in development cooperation: change from needs based to rights based† 27. 09.2007 Nyamu -Musembi C and A Cornwall2004 â€Å"What is the rights based approach â€Å"all about: Perspectives from International development agencies, Sussex, England. Institute of Development Studies. Nyamu -Musembi.C2005 â€Å"An Actor-oriented Approach to Rights in Development†, IDS Bulletin, Volume 36 Number 1, January 2005 pp42. Petit Jand J Wheeler, Developing Rights? Relating Discourse to Context and Practice. Institute of development Studies Sepulveda M,T Van Banning D.Gudmundsclotter,C. Chamoun and WJM.Van Genungten(eds) 2004 Human Rights Reference Handbook, University of Peace. Theis J 2004 Promoting Rights Based Approaches, Experiences and Ideas from Asia and the Pacific. Save the children Sweden. Keen Publishing. Declaration on the Right to development, adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations in resolution 41/128 of 4 December 1986. CESCR (Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights) 1999 International Technical Assistance Measures (article 2).CESCR General Comment Number 2.Geneva.CESCR.

River Journey In Brazil :: essays research papers

Dear Irene, I would first like to thank you, for encouraging me to enter the competition and I could not believe that I won. As soon as they called out my name on the radio, I went running around my house, crazy, jumping up and down on my small bed, which I think I ruined the springs in it. Although it’s a pity you could not come with me, because the fact is that I had a spectacular holiday. There was a variety of choices on where to go, but none of them interests me except for one that I have not tried yet, and that was ‘Rafts and river journeys’ in the Amazon river, Brazil. I have never, in my life, experienced river journeys and I heard it could be a lot of fun and dangerous so I can face my fears. My best friend, Mike, and I went on a first class ticket in Brasilia Airlines that was very comfortable for a six-hour trip. As we landed on the capital of Brazil, Brasilia we didn’t imagine that this city can be strikingly beautiful, and fortunately is a lot better than Jeddah. We then met our raft experts in the airport. They were both female, which was really unexpected, because the experts are usually male, well one of them is called Joila and the other one’s called Lavita, I find Lavita very attractive. She had a tall, fit body, long blonde hair and a face more beautiful than Cindy Crawford. They took us to the city. The city had unspoiled landscapes, different types of antique markets around a distinctive building, there were several skyscrapers in the middle of the city, but that didn’t spoil the scenery, if you were in the middle of the city you would see lime-green mountains at a very long distance. They drove us to their camp, which was far out of the c ity and nearby the Amazon River. The campsite was in a charming location, along the campsite was pale green bushes around the campsite, caravans just beside the entrance was very big because it is used for their office, a small lake can be seen just a few hundred metres beside the camp for us to practice, there is an exotic view if you looked on top of the small hill, it was as if you were on top of the world. Lavita firstly showed us to our small white caravans for us to unpack.

The Impact Of The Internet On Communication Essay -- Networks Telecomm

The Impact of the Internet on Communication The internet has revolutionized all forms of communication since the beginning of its existence. The world has now become ‘smaller' or more like a ‘global village', so to speak. The internet was first used by the U.S military for communications purposes. The internet, from the communication point of view, has brought on new developments and techniques to keep in touch not only for individuals, but for businesses as well. An example of how the internet has impacted communication would be an example of doctors now communicating through live video feeds via the internet with patients or other doctors to diagnose patients or to even guide and advise surgeons through complicated procedures. Email Email (electronic mail) was one of the biggest breakthroughs in communication when the internet was commercialized. With email, it became possible to send messages and letters across the world in a matter of seconds to the recipients address. Email was used as an alternative to conventional mail or ‘snail' mail, as the term was introduced to describe its speed. As technology improved, it became possible to ‘attach' documents, photographs and even sound clips or songs to emails which made mail by post redundant. Emails used packet switching software whereby the email was broken down into ‘packets' and sent via the internet to the recipient. VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) Internet Voice, also known as Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), is a technology that allows you to make regular telephone calls using a dial up or broadband internet connection instead of a regular phone line. Some services using VoIP may only allow you to call other people using the same service, bu... ...ely in real-time. When logged into a chat session, you "converse" by typing messages that are instantly sent to other chat participants. One of the most popular IRC programs is ‘mIRC'. P2P technically stands for "peer-to-peer." A peer-to-peer architecture allows hardware or software to function on a network without the need for central servers. The person connects directly to his or her peer through a dedicated connection where no one else can interfere. An example of P2P chat clients are MSN Messenger and Yahoo Messenger. These P2P clients make chatting user-friendly and interesting as there are options for a web cam or an audio conversation, and options to transfer files from one peer to another. The use of emoticons makes the conversation either more real or more fun. Bibliography www.google.com www.fcc.gov www.askjeeves.com www.about.com www.mirc.com

journeyhod Journey Motif in Heart of Darkness and Jasmine Essay

Journey Motif in Heart of Darkness and Jasmine  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚      In Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness and Bharati Mukherjee's Jasmine, the physical journey represents the setting for the psychological journey that both main characters undergo. Each stage of the journey is correlated to an emotional insight, and the implications are great enough to incur a change in the protagonists' lives. Through the discovery of distant lands and foreign ideas, Marlow and Jasmine are prompted to look internally to find the answers to their questions. Their struggles are personal, and they are driven by different guiding forces, yet both experience a greater sense of self-awareness by the end of their journey. Initially, Marlow and Jasmine embark on physical journeys involving movement over water. Marlow's fascination with the Congo River drives him to set out in search of the unknown, to fulfill his longing to explore the "blank spaces" of the map (Conrad 5). Marlow first crosses the English Channel to Brussels, a city that elicits an image of a "whited sepulcher" (7), which serves as an omen of the events that are about to unfold. The city, and the operation of the trading company, appear on the surface to be benevolent, but hidden at the very core are darkness and corruption. Jasmine's journey begins under quite different circumstances. She also crosses the ocean in search of a new and mysterious land, but for a very unique reason. Leaving Jyoti behind, Jasmine travels a long and indirect route to Florida where she intends to throw herself onto a funeral pyre in the custom of a traditional Indian widow. The further from home Marlow and Jasmine travel, the more alienated they feel from the world and the people around them. Viewing the coas... ...e face in life. Both novels address influences that guide us through our spiritual lives, and how they potentially affect our decisions and choices. Marlow does not reach this understanding until he leaves a place of modernity and travels "back to the earliest beginnings of the world" (30), returning to Europe at the end of his journey a changed man. Conversely, Jasmine is able to progress emotionally and achieve personal fulfillment once she leaves the antiquated society of India for the United States. The ambiguity of Heart of Darkness and Jasmine accurately reflects the fluid and unpredictable nature of our own existence, and the adversity we must surmount in our journey through life. Works Cited Conrad, Joseph. Heart of Darkness. 1902. New York: Dover Publications Inc., 1990. Mukherjee, Bharati. Jasmine. 1989. New York: Ballantine Books, 1991.   

Team Goals

Team goals are the specific and measurable performance outcomes to be accomplished. A team is a group of individuals working to achieve a common goal. Thus, team goals dictate the performance, effectiveness and success of the team. Goals should therefore be clear and all members should have a common shared vision of the goals. When team members understand the goals, team roles are also clarified so each member can focus on their task. Consequently members are provided with a sense of identity. Team goals therefore serve to motivate the team when members effectively perform their roles. Goals also must be measurable because without measurable goals, teams may lose direction and will not be able to gauge performance or determine their progress. Additionally, when team goals and individual goals are more congruent high performance is more likely to occur.Team NormsNorms are defined as â€Å"mutually agreed upon standards of behaviour† and should therefore be discussed at the earl y stages of team development. Norms are developed through various ways, they can be written or unwritten and can change or be redefined throughout the existence of the team. Team norms define the boundaries of acceptable behaviour; therefore, norms would enable members to identify any behaviour that is dysfunctional and reduce negative conflict. Thus, norms can allow the team to be functional. To conclude team norms are important because through regulating the members’ behaviour, they help to control and measure the performance of the team and through this, team performance and team success have a positive correlation with team norms.Self Directed Work TeamsSelf directed work teams are formal groups that complete an entire piece of work requiring several interdependent tasks and have substantial autonomy over the execution of these tasks. That is, members are empowered to make decisions needed to manage themselves on a daily basis. Members within these type of teams therefore rely on multiskilling.Cross Functional Work TeamA Cross-functional team is a group of people with different functional expertise working toward a common goal.

Leadership reflection Essay

When I think about leadership, I never realized how important it is to critically analyze and reflect on how true or authentic you are as a leader. When I think of myself in a leadership position, at that moment I do not critically analyze how I am performing as a leader. I am caught up in my own world worrying about how people portray me as, are they willing to follow my lead? Am I appropriately dressed for the occasion? or just simply do they like me? I think these are the worries and insecurities that get in the way of me analyzing my true leadership skills. There are also several insecurities that get in the way of me engaging in true, authentic self reflection. One of my major fear/roadblock is trying to be a person I am not; in other words not being true to myself. Trying to live up to an expectation, whether around family or friends, there is a certain pressure or a legacy you are trying to keep that gets in the way of truly reflecting. It doesn’t matter if you have failed or not, it’s that constant reminder or you are trying to convince yourself that you can be that person your family or friends want you to be. I think personal reflection is crucial for leaders. I believe that in order to increase a leader’s competence, leaders have to continuously grow, learn, and reflect. In order to do that, you have to be true to yourself. In high school, I used to teach young children at a Hindi school every Sunday. Being in that environment and seeing how much of a positive impact I have on these young kids inspired me to lead in other aspects in my life. Having the opportunity to shape and mold these children into great role models, really gave me an insight on how important it is to have a role model/leader to look up to. That experience really sparked my interest in becoming a leader. I think being able to directly impact someone’s life for their betterment is empowering. Overall, I think all leaders are committed to make their group, organization, company, etc. a better place. As I begin to speculate what makes me who I am that gets in the way of me exercising my leadership skills effectively, a few things come to mind. The first thing, again, it is my fear of turning or becoming into someone I am not without me realizing. I know in order to be a good leader you need to be a good follower. I fear while following, I follow a person who leads me to be a person that I am unhappy with. I think with that issue also comes a problem with trust. I should trust the person I am following and when I don’t understand, question to understand why things are done a certain way. Like the cadet said,† Some of the most prevalent barriers I notice in myself are: fear, desire for acceptance, desire to make everyone happy, not willing to take risks and previous ideas of what leaders should do and how they should act† are the same barriers that I face being a leader. Along with those, I have a fear of being left out. It is crucial to identify these barriers and be aware of them so you can slowly try to overcome them and not let them get in the way of you being an effective leader. View as multi-pages